He has stated he is currently trying to build a financial case for further extension

The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has stated he is “committed” to developing the Bakerloo line past Lewisham and towards Bromley.

His statement comes after it was announced last week that the Bakerloo line will be extended to Lewisham via Old Kent Road and New Cross Gale, in a bid to meet London’s growing population. The capital is expected to house 10 million people by 2030, compared to today’s eight and a half million.

Mr Khan and Transport for London (TfL) have said they see a second phase of the extension beyond Lewisham in the future, and work is continuing to build a case for this.

A spokesperson for the mayor of London said: “Sadiq is delighted to be pushing ahead with the Bakerloo line extension, two years earlier than originally planned. It will provide substantial benefits for thousands of Londoners and a real boost to the local economy. He remains committed to delivering a further extension of the line beyond Lewisham, and work is continuing to build a financial case for this.”

Bromley labour councillor, Angela Wilkins, has also shared her support for the extension towards Bromley.

She said: “Labour councillors in Bromley would totally support the extension of the Bakerloo line to Bromley - we know first hand the benefits the overground line brought in terms of regeneration when it opened up Crystal Palace and Penge.

“I’m really surprised the Tories oppose this extension - infrastructure investment like this is much needed in the borough and TfL’s consultation in early 2015 showed the vast majority of our residents want it too. Time they listened to locals if you ask me!”

Deputy leader of Bromley Council, Colin Smith, said: “It is utterly untrue and typically mendacious of the Labour Party to suggest that Bromley Conservatives are opposed to the Bakerloo line coming into the town as they well know and anyone else can see for themselves by googling the historical debate.

“What we have long been seeking is an additional service, rather than a second rate replacement of the Hayes Line which appears to be the limitation of Labour’s ambition, which serves Bromley North (and ideally Bromley South) to further boost our Town Centre and support trade, business and commuters across the Borough by providing direct links to Docklands and the Thames corridor beyond.

“Our second strategic Borough wide transport priority has been to see Tramlink extended from Elmers End to Crystal Palace to serve residents living across the North West of the Borough, a vision which Labour no longer seem to share either.”

Ms Wilkins came back again, however, saying: “When Cllr Smith accuses Labour of being “mendacious” he verges on slander. I would like to remind him of his own words, as recorded in council minutes on numerous occasions. Please see some examples...”

Examples provided by Ms Wilkins:

- Council meeting July 21 2014, answer to oral question: “What we are not supportive of and have told TfL repeatedly is their intention to push the Bakerloo line all the way down to Hayes which would deny a lot of people of the south-western part of the Borough the opportunity to have direct access to Cannon Street and London Bridge.”

...”without any apparent desire at TfL to do anything other than to run the Bakerloo Line down to Hayes at twice the price of the DLR which we do want, as opposed to the Bakerloo Line, which we do not. “

- Council meeting Oct 13 2014, answer to oral question: ...”this proposition is neither the London Borough of Bromley’s first (DLR extension to Bromley North) nor second (Tramlink extension to Crystal Palace) preferred transport solution for which we have been lobbying for as a Borough for a number of years. It is therefore safe to say that we hold considerable reservations over the extent of the proposal at present...”

- Council meeting Feb 23 2015, statement on TfL consultation: “He...explained that the council was broadly supportive of the extension of the Bakerloo line to Lewisham, but not an extension to Hayes which would see the existing national rail lines subsumed by the Bakerloo Line extension and the ultimate loss of direct connectivity to London Bridge, Cannon Street and Charing Cross. However, should it be possible to bring the Bakerloo Line to Bromley town centre via New Beckenham without the loss of any of the existing rail services then the Council could be prepared to support this in principle.”

- Council meeting June 29 2015, answer to oral question: “I do not accept the premise of the assertion that “the people of Bromley have come out strongly in favour of the extension of the Bakerloo line to Beckenham Junction & Hayes.” The figures quoted are an arbitrary, small number of self-selecting respondents to TfL’s survey which do not accord with the findings of myself and others when seeking opinion both on the ground, and indeed on the very trains themselves, when the pros and cons of the question have been properly explained to them. “

In a poll conducted by the Bromley Times found that 86 per cent of the people that voted would like to see “as much public transport as they can get” in Bromley, and would welcome the extension of the Bakerloo line.